Ireland: Islands in the stream

You dont need to be a millionaire to buy one of the greatest status symbols of all. Dara Flynn eyes up the Irish isle market

Nick Faldo hopes his will be deemed fit for playing golf, John Lennon allowed hippies free rein over his, Mick Jagger and the late Princess Margaret enjoyed the same one, the most expensive example in the world has a highly unusual shape and Marlon Brando encouraged Johnny Depp to get one just like his.

As private property goes, nothing beats a private island for exclusivity, privacy and status symbolism. So of the thousands of privately owned havens worldwide, it’s little wonder that a disproportionate amount are owned by celebs. A vast expanse of water is the best possible way to paparazzi-proof a property, keeping insistent fans and noisy neighbours literally at bay.

Few “normal” people would even consider island ownership without the yacht, fame and bank balance that seem to go hand in hand with it. But, at any given time, a few pretty, habitable and affordable islands are for